First see you again on Saturday?
Not just Hoffmann: Another professional before Eintracht’s return
01/13/2025 – 5:26 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Eintracht Braunschweig starts the new year on Saturday with a home game against Schalke 04. Two old acquaintances could then work on Daniel Scherning’s team.
In addition to goalkeeper Ron Thorben Hoffmann, will defense expert Filip Benkovic also play for Eintracht Braunschweig again soon? Quite possible, because according to information from the pay-TV broadcaster Sky, the BTSV is working intensively on the duo’s return before the start of the second half of the season on January 18th.
Benkovic is currently without a club; his contract with Udinese Calcio was terminated last summer. The 27-year-old central defender from Croatia is expected to sign a contract until the end of the season. If they manage to stay in the league, Benkovic will receive a new one-year contract.
Filip Benkovic had already worn the blue and yellow BTSV jersey in the 2022/23 season. On loan from Udinese, the central defender quickly established himself as a top performer in the second division team, with Benkovic starting 17 of 19 games. At the beginning of 2023, a hip injury stopped the Croatian for two months: During this time, Braunschweig only got four points and conceded 17 goals.
In the summer of 2022, Ron-Thorben Hoffmann also joined BTSV for the first time. The then 23-year-old goalkeeper moved from the youth team of FC Bayern Munich to the then promoted second division team. Just like Filip Benkovic, Hoffmann became a top performer during the season: from matchday 26, he replaced Jasmin Fejzic as the starting goalkeeper.
After a total of 45 two-league games, Ron-Thorben Hoffmann went to FC Schalke 04 in the summer of 2024. But there he only made two appearances in the league in the first half of the season. There were already rumors of a return to BTSV in December. Now the clubs have apparently agreed on a loan until the summer, including a purchase option: If the 25-year-old becomes a regular goalkeeper again and manages to stay in the league, according to Sky, a transfer fee of up to 300,000 euros will be due. Schalke confirmed on Monday that Hofmann had been released to talk to a club.
Curious: If the transfer were to take place by the weekend, Ron-Thorben Hoffmann would meet his parent club directly. Schalke 04 will be guests at Hamburger Straße on Saturday (January 18th) from 1 p.m. Tickets are still available for those who decide at short notice, the BTSV said.